Slipjoint history

D

Dr van Nostrom

Joined
May 8, 2001
Messages
536
Like many here I am a slipjoint nut, my current focus is Stockman (Stockmen?). I got to wondering about the history and evolution of the different slipjoint patterns. I know the stockman is the traditional knife of the cowboy/rancher with the spey blade for… well you know. The trapper has been traditionally used by hunters, and the Doctors pattern was used by physicians with the flat end used for crushing pills. What about the Congress pattern, Copperheads, Canoes, etc. Anyone know their history why they have the blades they do?
On a side note anybody have any Laguiole knives? Got my first on Friday - sooooo pretty and the walk & talk is really impressive.
 
my dad has a very pretty laguiole that he got while we were in france, it comes with a slipcase that holds the knife and a steel. Action is still quite tight though. Beautiful knives.

- Pete
 
I have owned a couple of Laguiole knives. They were both very inexpensive knives and were a great value. They stood up to far more than they should have considering their price. One day I plan to have a custom Laguiole made by Henri Viallon. His knives are outstanding.
 
The best sources I know of for slipjoint history I
know are Blade magazine and Knife World. They have regular articles on patterns. I think in the year 2000, Blade had an article on the Cattle Knife, a pattern very similar to the stockman.
 
The Canoe got it's name from it's shape. If you look at a Canoe from the side, it looks kind of like a canoe. The bolster and cap bolster (bolster at the back of the handle) are both higher than the handle on the side that the blades fold into. That is what gives them that look.

Many slipjoint patterns get their names from the their shape. The Sunfish and Elephant Toenail get those names because they are big and wide. The Texas Jack gets it's name because it is a very big Jack Knife, big like Texas. The Serpentine got it's name because their handles have an S-curve to them. Swell centers because the center of the handles are wider than the ends.

No one really knows how the Congress got it's name. It is a knife that's main blade is always a sheepfoot and it almost always has squared corners on the bolster and cap bolster. It is a purely American knife.
 
Uh..I don't know what Spey blades are for ..I thought it was a gouging sort of tool
 
Originally posted by Dijos
Uh..I don't know what Spey blades are for ..I thought it was a gouging sort of tool
Click to expand...

It's for castrating livestock.

Chris
 
Gunstock looks like a ........gunstock
Coke bottle looks like a .........coke bottle.
Trapper
Copperhead
Hobo
Peanut
Swing guard(6111 1/2)Cheetah
Farmers 61048
Sowbelly
Eisenhower
The darn things are endless.Love em
:) :) :) :)
 
I'm really starting to take an interest in Pen Knives and Lobster patterns. Although I still love larger slipjoint patterns, these petite varieties really amaze me. Check out this Japanese knife maker Hiroaka Ahta (sp?) over at www.levineknives.com. His Wharncliffe and nail file pen knife is really enticing but I don't know if I can pull the trigger on a $500 Pen Knife even if it is a custom.
 
Some great answers here, but it is going to be pretty hard to give a decent answer when there are quite a few books on the subject. Basically at one time or another there were knives for just about every trade from professional to cub scout as well as numerous patterns just for cuttin' and whittlin'.

Two suggestions for a good start would be Levine's Guide to Knives and their Values by Bernard Levine and The Sheffield Knife Book by Geoffry Tweedale. Lots of info in those two books without getting too pricey :).
 
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